Ruthie Ann Miles, who created the role of Imelda Marcos in the immersive David Byrne-Fatboy Slim musical Here Lies Love, will exit the Off-Broadway production Oct. 18 at the Public Theater.

Jaygee Macapugay

Miles will be succeeded by current Here Lies Love cast member Jaygee Macapugay, who will begin performances Oct. 20. The cast also welcomes Tobias Wong as the DJ.

Tony nominee Alex Timbers (Rocky, Peter and the Starcatcher) stages the 90-minute, immersive musical, which centers around the First Lady of the Philippines. The original Public Theater production of Here Lies Love was critically acclaimed and extended four times during its initial run.

Set within a dance-club atmosphere, theatregoers stand and move with the actors for the duration of the show. Here Lies Love has music by David Byrne of The Talking Heads and DJ Fatboy Slim, with lyrics by Byrne.

The new, open-ended commercial run is produced by Joey Parnes and Emursive (Randy Weiner, Arthur Karpati, Jonathan Hochwald).

The cast features Jose Llana (Spelling Bee, Flower Drum Song) as Ferdinand Marcos alongside Conrad Ricamora as Ninoy Aquino. The production received the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical; an Obie Award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics; Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Music, Lighting Design and Projection Design and Theatre World Awards for Ruthie Ann Miles (Imelda Marcos) and Conrad Ricamora (Aquino). It was recently nominated for a record 11 Lucille Lortel Awards.

According to the Public, "Within a pulsating dance club atmosphere, David Byrne and Fatboy Slim deconstruct the astonishing journey of Filipina First Lady Imelda Marcos retracing her meteoric rise from childhood to her subsequent descent into infamy and disgrace at the end of the People Power Revolution. Here Lies Love is neither a period piece nor a biography, neither a play nor a traditional musical but a wholly immersive theatrical event combining songs influenced by four decades of dance music, adrenaline-fueled choreography, and a remarkable 360-degree scenic and video environment to go beyond Imelda’s near-mythic obsession with shoes and explore the true tragic consequences of power and responsibility."

A Look at Imelda Marcos Musical Here Lies Love, by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim

A Look at Imelda Marcos Musical Here Lies Love, by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim

Filipino political leaders Imelda and Ferdinand Marcos take center stage in the new David Byrne-Fatboy Slim musical Here Lies Love, an immersive 360-degree theatrical experience, which began its world-premiere engagement April 2 at the Public Theater.